Questions tagged [infodump]
7 questions
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Is 'infodumping' the important parts of a story via an in-universe lesson in school/documentary/the news/other educational medium bad storytelling?
I have done this twice at the beginning of 2 of my stories (IIRC.) The first was a lecture on the Dust Dragon, an extinct creature in this world. The second was a schoolteacher giving a lesson on the making and history of their species.
I like this…
Conan Highwoods
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Do thoughts work as an info-dump?
I am writing a piece of soft science-fiction set on an alien-provided generation ship decades after the destruction of Earth (or at least the ruination of humanity) by a rogue comet, possibly sent by the same aliens that provided the twenty…
SoronelHaetir
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How to make "new apprentice" type info-dump less boring
I'm writing a story wherein a teenager X gets suddenly and involuntarily enlisted in an sci-fi army. I need to explain certain technology to the reader, and the army needs to explain certain information to X, like how their FTL communication device…
user289661
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How to avoid info dumps in fan fiction?
I was wondering what kind of advice do you have to avoid info dumps in fan fiction? Granted this can usually be avoided in fan fiction by sticking to what is known. But when you work with au's or other canon divergence, how do you handle giving the…
meg_carroll
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Is it sometimes okay to info dump to enhance your story even if it's not necessary to the plot
I am writing a YA novel in 3rd person limited.
The first scene of the chapter opens in a high school classroom. We don't know the name of the school or where it's at just yet. The character does, but us, the reader does not. The next scene will take…
Perry_M
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What are some strategies to integrate historical facts to a storyline?
What are several different ways to incorporate true facts into historical fiction without just giving a massive info dump?
Whether big or little details, I want to inform the reader of facts without flat out saying "on ___, ___ happened, which was a…
user11111111111
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How to write an interview-style story without it being an infodump?
Inspired by the Underworld setting where vampires slept in steampunk-styled sarcophagi, slowly deteriorating until they were woken and fed, I wrote a story about vampires as aliens who crash-landed on Earth in the twelfth century, holed up in the…
J.D. Ray
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